Rolling mill



y 6, 1967 w. J. HILL 3,319,449

ROLLING MILL Filed March 12, 1965 8 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. ZI/IZZjdm HI'ZZ BY H TIT-T117279 May 16, 1.967 w. J. HILL 3,319,449

ROLLING MILL Filed March 12, 1965 8 Shets-Sheet Q I NV ENTOR.

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ROLLING MILL Filed March 12, 1965 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 ZI/fZZI'dm Hill y 1967 w. J. HILL 3,319,449

ROLLING MILL Filed March 12, 1965 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 86a 7 139 my /35 72b INVENTOR. ZVI'Z 11am )flz'l Z BY w. J. HILL 3,319,449

ROLLING MILL May 16, 1967 8 Sheets- Sheet 5 Filed March 12, 1965 INVENTOR.

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ROLLING MILL Filed March 12, 1965 8 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR. William 2. Hill BY MMW Hum w. J. HILL ROLLING MILL May 16, 1967 8 Sheets-Sheet '2 Filed March 12, 1965 INVENTOR. ZZ/IZZI'am Hill H orneys y 6, 1967 w. J. HM 3,319,449

ROLLING MILL Filed March 12, 1965 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 I N VE N TOR.

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United States Patent Ofifice 3,319,449 Patented May 16, 1967 3,319,449 ROLLING MILL William J. Hill, Holden, Mass, assignor to Morgan Construction Company, Worchester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Mar. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 439,270 14 Claims. (Cl. 72-437) This invention relates generally to rolling mills and more particularly to an improved roll housing which may be quickly and efficiently converted to either a horizontal or vertical operative position.

In a continuous rolling mill, alternate use of vertical and horizontal roll stands is often advantageous in that such an arrangement obviates the necessity of twisting the stock between roll stands. To illustrate, in a typical rod rolling operating employing both oval and round passes, if all of the roll stands are of the horizontal type, the stock must be twisted through an angle of 90 by intermediate twist guides as it progresses from one stand to the next. However, by employing an alternating sequence of both horizontal and vertical roll stands, any need to twist the stock between stands is completely obviated, thus eliminating the necessity of using intermediate twist guides which in addition to being difficult to adjust, also have a tendency to impair the quality of the stock being produced.

It should be understood, however, that the abovedescribed alternate positioning of horizontal and vertical roll stands will not necessarily be suited for every type of rolling operation. For example, when rolling flat stock or angles, the product may be passed through several consecutive horizontal stands before reaching a vertical stand. In other words, the particular consecutive arrangement of horizontal and vertical roll stand will often vary, depending on the type of product being rolled. It can therefore be seen that in order to provide a flexible rolling operation with a minimum number of stands capable of producing a wide range of products, provisions should preferably be made for quickly and efiiciently changing the sequential order of horizontal and vertical roll stands.

This problem has been recognized by those skilled in the art and several solutions have been proposed. For example, mill frames have been constructed with dual drive systems arranged to drive the work rolls of a removable roll stand in either a horizontal or vertical operative position. Although this arrangement provides some measure of flexibility, the cost of providing dual drive systems for each mill frame has been found to be excessive.

Another attempted solution has been to provide a mill frame wherein the roll stand and its entire drive means, including drive motor, pinions and spindles, are rotated about the pass line. However, this arrangement is also not entirely satisfactory, particularly in larger sized mills, because of the difficulties encountered in rotating an assembly of such great weight and size. Moreover, such an arrangement precludes the possibility of employing a single drive motor to drive a number of successively aligned stands.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved mill frame construction capable of readily being adapted for either horizontal or vertical operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mill frame construction which includes a removable roll stand capable of being driven in either a horizontal or vertical operative position by the same basic drive system, thus eliminating unnecessary and expensive duplication of components.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mill frame construction embodying means for rotating a conventional removable roll stand about the pass line between vertical and horizontal operative positions without disturbing the fixed position of the drive motor.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a mill frame embodying means for changing roll grooves in either a horizontal or vertical operative position by transversely displacing the roll stand relative to the pass line, again without disturbing the position of a fixed drive motor operatively connected thereto.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a means including a fixed drive motor for driving a convertible roll stand in either a horizontal or vertical operative position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide improved means for rotating the roll stand between horizontal and vertical operative positions, without disturbing the fixed drive means.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved mill frame construction wherein a removable r-oll stand and its associated drive spindles and pinions are rotated as a unit about the pass line between vertical and horizontal operative positions, the weight of said rotatable unit being reduced to a minimum by providing means for allowing the remaining drive components to remain fixed relative to the pass line.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a mill frame construction wherein a removable roll stand and its associated drive spindles and pinions are rotated as a unit about the pass line, the overall size of said rotatable unit being reduced to a minimum by a novel pinion construction which allows the pinion housing to be positioned in close proximity to the roll stand.

These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent as the description proceeds with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of a convertible mill frame embodying the concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged elevational view of one of the fixed support members on which the tilting cradle is carried;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 with the roll stand, pinion housing, traversing bed and traversing mechanism removed from the tilting cradle;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the mill frame converted to a vertical operative position;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 77 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the tilting cradle removed from the mill frame;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the traversing bed removed train the mill frame; and

FIG. 10 is a partially diagrammatic view in section through the pinion housing showing the means utilized to connect the pinions to the work rolls and single lead drive spindle.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 wherein are best shown general features of the invention, a mill frame generally indicated by the reference numeral 2 is shown provided with a base section 3 mounted in a fixed position on the mill floor 4 by means of a plurality of anchor bolts indicated typically by the reference numeral 5. Although not shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that a plurality of basically identical mill frames 2 will usually be aligned consecutively to define the pass line 6 of a continuous rolling operation.

Mill frame 2 contains a removable roll stand 7 having multi-grooved work rolls 8 journaled for rotation therein. The work rolls are each connected by means of universal spindle shaft-s 9 to intermeshed driven pinion gears 10a and 10b. Pinion gear 10b is in turn meshed with a drive pinion gear 100 which is connected to a single lead drive spindle 11. The means utilized to connect the pinion gears (collectively referred to by the reference numeral 10) may best be understood by reference to FIG. 10. The pinion gears 10 are arranged in vertical intermeshe'd par'al lel alignment within a pinion housing 12 for rotation between bearings 13 which may be of the conventional sleeve type as herein shown. Each pinion is of the hollow type with a bore 14 (individually numbered 14a, 14b and 140 to correspond with the reference numerals identifying each pinion gear) extending therethrough. Pinion gears 10a and 10b are further provided at one end with female gear coupling members 15 keyed for rotation therewith. The drive spindles 9 extend axially through the bores 14a and 14b of pinion gears 10a and 10b and are provided at their driven ends with male spherical gear members 16 which mesh with the female gear coupling members 15. The drive ends of spindles 8 are further provided with another set of male spherical gear members 17 which cooperate with female gear coupling members 18 engaged on the Wobbler ends 19 of the work rolls 8.

By allowing the drive spindles 9 to extend axially through bores 14a and 14b in pinion gears 16a and 18b, a significant advantage is gained in that the pinion housing 12 may be positioned in close proximity to the Wobbler ends 18 of work rolls 8 without sacrificing overall spindle length. In this manner, the degree of angular spindle misalignment caused by variations in work roll diameters and roll parting adjustments is kept within an acceptable range capable of being accommodated by the universal gear type couplings which connect the spindles to the work rolls and pinions.

As can be further seen in FIG. 10, the bore 14c extending through pinion 100 is splined as at 22 to cooperate in slidable engagement with a male gear member 24 on the driven end of lead drive spindle 11. The func tion of this slidable engagement will become more apparent as the "description continues.

When the mill frame 2 is-adapted for horizontal operation as shown in FIG. 1, lead drive spindle 11 is connected by means of a male coupling member a to a female coupling member 3012 on the driving end of a shaft 32. Shaft 32 is in turn journaled for rotation between bearings 36 within a stationary gear housing 34 adjacent mill frame 2. A large diameter gear 38 on shaft 32 meshes with a smaller diameter drive gear 40 on an overlying parallel shaft 42. Shaft 42, which is also journaled for rotation within gear housing 34 between bearings 44, is connected by couplings 46, shaft extension 48 and gear reducer 59 to a drive motor 52 mounted in a fixed position adjacent gear housing 34 on a raised foundation pedestal 54.

In addition to gear 40, shaft 42 is further provided with a beveled gear 56 which meshes with another beveled gear 58 on an angularly disposed alternate drive shaft 59. Alternate drive shaft 59 is in turn journaled for rotation within gear housing 34 between bearings 60 and connected by means of couplings 61 and an intermediate shaft extension 62 to a short angularly disposed drive shaft 63 in a second gear housing 64 located at the top of mill frame 2. Shaft 63 is journaled for rotation between bearings 65 and is connected to an adjacent vertically disposed shaft 66 by a set of beveled gears 67. Shaft 66 is journaled for rotation within housing 64 between bearings 68 and is provided at its lower end with a female coupling member 70 identical to female member 30b on the exposed end of horizontal shaft '32. As will hereinafter be described in greater detail, when converting mill frame 2 from horizontal operation as shown in FIG. 1 to vertical operation as shown in FIG. 6, the male coupling member 30a is first disengaged from female coupling member 30b to interrupt the drive connection bet-ween shaft 32 and lead drive spindle 11. The slidable engagement between male gear member 24 and the splined bore 140' in pinion 10c facilitates disengagement of male coupling member 38a from female coupling member 30b by allowing the lead drive spindle 11 to be drawn into the spindle housing 12-. After the mill frame has been adjusted to the vertical position, the same male coupling member 30a on lead drive spindle 11 is again reconnected to the female coupling member 78 on the lower end of vertically disposed shaft 66 (see FIG. 6). Thus it can be seen that whether adjusted to the horizontal or vertical operative position, the work rolls 8 in roll stand 7 will be driven through the same lead drive spindle, pinion gears and universal spindle shafts 9 by the same fixed motor 52.

The means employed to convert mill frame 2 to either a horizontal or vertical operative position will now be described in greater detail. The basic structure of the mill frame includes spaced reinforced side walls 72a and 72b extending upwardly from base section 3. As indi cated in FIG. 1, each side wall is cut away as at 74 to expose the roll stand 7 which is removably mounted therebetween. Each of the mill frame side walls 72a and 72b are further provided with fixed inwardly facing curved support members 76a and 7617. As can be best seen in FIG. 4 which is a typical view of one of the Sup port members (7612) removed from the mill frame, each support member is provided with inner and outer curved tracks 78a and 78b spaced to define an arcuate channel 80 therebetween. The tracks extend in an interruptedcircular path concentric about the fixed pass line 6. The outer tracks 78b on each support member are broken away as at 82 to provide means for draining cooling water and rolling scale from channel 88 during operation of the mill. As can be best seen in FIG. 2, support member 76b is fixed to the inside surface of housing side wall 72b and it is to be understood that support member 76a is similarly fixed to the inside surface of side wall 72a, thus providing opposed sets of spaced circular guide tracks 78a and 78b.

A tilting cradle generally indicated by the reference numeral 84 is positioned between and supported by sup port members 76a and 76b. As can be best seen in FIG. 8, cradle 84 is comprised basically of an elongated gen erally rectangular assembly which includes spaced side members 86a and 86b interconnected at suitable points by transverse bracing members 88a, 88b and 880. Bracing members 88b are made up of inwardly slanting surfaces which cooperate with side members 86a and 86b in providing a drain for cooling water and mill scale when the tilting cradle is in a horizontal operative position. Side members 86a and 8612 are further provided with up Wardly extending arm members 90, each of which carries a set of laterally disposed rotatable guide rollers 92a, 92b and 920. When the tilting cradle is operatively positioned in the mill frame, the guide rollers (hereinafter at times collectively referred to by the reference numeral 92) protrude into the arcuate channels 80 of the inwardly facing support members 72a and 76b and cooperate with the curved tracks 78a and 78b to support the cradle for rotation about the pass line 6 from a horizontal position as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 to a vertical position as shown in FIG. 6.

As can be best seen in FIG. 5 which is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 showing the tilting cradle 84 (with the roll stand 7, pinion housing 12, and other components to be hereinafter described removed therefrom) mounted within mill frame 2 in a horizontal position, the lower guide rollers 92b and 92c are supported by the outer curved tracks 78b of opposed support members 76a and 76b. The upper guide rollers 92a are in an unloaded somewhat neutral position between tracks 78a and 78b. However, it should be obvious to one skilled in the art that as the cradle 84 is tilted about pass line 6 to the vertical operative position as shown in FIG; 6,- the guide rollers will travel upwardly in channels 80 with the weight of cradle 84 being transferred from outer tracks 78b to inner tracks 78a;

Returning now to FIGS. 2 and 3, it can be seen that a traversing bed generally indicated by the reference numeral 94 is mounted on tilting cradle 84 for adjustable movement thereon in a transverse direction relative to the pass line 6. As can best be seen in FIG. 9, traversing bed 94 is comprised basically of a separate assembly which includes spaced elongated side members 96a and 96b interconnected by a horizontal plate 97 and cross members 98. Each side member 96a and 96b is suitably fabricated in cross section to provide laterally disposed L-shaped flanges 106. When traversing bed 94 is lowered onto tilting cradle 84 during initial assembly, flanges 196 seat themselves on elongated guide rails 108 on the cradle. Keeper plates 107 are then attached as by bolting to flanges 106 to provide a means of mechanically engaging the traversing bed to the cradle, while at the same time permitting slidable adjustment of the former relative to the latter. When bed 94 has been properly adjust-ed, it is clamped to tilting cradle by pivotal clamps 119. These clamps operate to engage downwardly disposed flanges 114 on the side members 96a and 96b of traversing bed 94, thus clamping the traversing bed relative to tilting frame 84.

The side members 96a and 96b of traversing bed 94 are each further provided with tracks 100 onto which the removable roll stand 6 may be rolled from the adjacent mill floor when the tilting cradle is in the horizontal operative position. The tracks are suitably provided with transverse depressions 99 into which rollers 101 on the roll stand are seated when the roll stand is properly located on the traversing bed. The depressions 99 allow the roll stand to drop slightly, thus bringing outwardly extending flanges 193 on the roll stand into contact with somewhat L-shaped flanges 104 which protrude above tracks 100. Roll stand 6 is then fixed to traversing bed 94 by any convenient means, such as by retaining bolts 102 which may be passed downwardly through flanges 103 and holes 105111 flanges 104.

The means employed for adjusting traversing bed 94 on tilting cradle 84 can best be seen by reference to FIG. 3 wherein is shown a motor 116 suspended from an intermediate plate 118 extending between side members 86a and 86b. Motor 116 is connected by means of a shaft 119 to a gear reducer 120 mounted on intermediate bracing member 880. Gear reducer 120 is connected to one end of screw 122, the other end of which is rotatably supported by a bearing 123 also supported by plate 118. A traveling nut member 125, which is threaded on screw 122, is engaged by a U-shaped socket 126 extending downwardly from the rearmost bracing member 98 on traversing bed 94.

When adjusting traversing bed .94 on tilting frame 84, the pivotal clamps 110 are first disengaged from downwardly depending flanges 114. Motor 116 is then energized to turn screw 122 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, depending on the direction of movement to be imparted to the bed. Rotation of screw 122 within traveling nut 125 which is engaged by U-shaped socket 126 will cause bed 94 to slide on guide rails 198 of tilting cradle 84. When the desired transverse adjustment has been completed, the pivotal clamps 110 are again actuated to clamp bed 94 to cradle 84.

As can best be seen in FIG. 3, once the traversing bed 94 is mounted on tilting cradle 84, it provides a support for both the removable roll stand 6 and the pinion housing 12. The pinion housing, which as previously indicated contains the intermeshed pinion gears 19a, 19b and 100 is fixed as for example by retaining bolts 130 to the intermediate shelf 97 extending between the side members 96a and 96b of traversing bed 94. When the roll stand 6 is removed from the mill frame, the ends of universal spindle shafts S are temporarily supported by spindle carriers 132 also mounted on traversing bed 94 between pinion housing 12 and roll stand 6.

With this construction, it can therefore be seen that once the male coupling member 3011 is disconnected from female coupling member 30b to free the lead drive spindle 11 from shaft 32 in gear housing 34, the combination of tilting cradle 84, traversing bed 94, roll stand 6, spindle carriers 132 and pinion housing 12 is free to rotate as a unit about the pass line 6 from a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 3 to a vertical position as shown in FIG. 6. However, it should be noted that the drive motor 52 and gear housing 58 will remain fixed at all times.

It should also be noted that as the traversing bed 94 is adjusted for roll pass selection on tilting cradle 84 in a direction transverse to the pass line, the roll stand 6, spindle carriers 132 and pinion housing 12 will be moved in the same transverse direction, again without disturbing the fixed position of motor 52 and gear housing 58. This is due to the uninterrupted drive connection which is provided between gear housing 58 and pinion housing 12 by the sliding connection existing between the splined axial passageway 140 in pinion gear and the male gear member 24 on the end of the lead drive spindle 11. As previously indicated, this sliding connection also facilitates disconnection of male coupling member 30a from female coupling member 39b by permitting lead spindle 11 to be temporarily drawn into pinion housing 12.

When the mill frame is adjusted for horizontal operation, tilting cradle 84 is locked in position by means of opposed locking plungers 134a and 134 b (see FIG. 7) actuated by pistons extending in opposite directions from an intermediate hydraulic cylinder 136 having different sized bores 136a and 136b. The plungers are initially Withdrawn into circular ports 138 in the side members 86a and 96b of tilting cradle 84 in order to free the cradle for rotation about fixed pass line 6. When the horizontal operative position is reached, cylinder 136 is actuated to insert locking plungers 134a and 1341) laterally into aligned receiving collars 140 fixed to the side walls 72a and 72b of the mill frame. Because cylinder bore 13617 is larger than bore 136a, a greater force will be exerted on plunger 13%. This will insure lateral extension of plunger 134!) to a point where shoulder 133 comes into contact with the inside surface of side member 86!). Since plunger 134a is not provided with a similar shoulder, it will continue to extend laterally until halted by the fixed receiving collar 140 on wall 72a. With plunger 1341) always extended to the same point by virtue of shoulder 133, the truncated conical ends on both plungers will cooperate with the tapered entry portions 139 of collars 140 to lock and accurately-locate tilting cradle 84 relative to the pass line 6. Where desired, additional sets of plungers and receiving collars may be utilized in the same manner. When the mill frame is adjusted to the vertical position as shown in FIG. 6, locking plungers 134 are engaged within an alternate set of receiving collars 142 (see FIG. 5) which are also fixed to side walls 72a and 72b.

The means utilized to adjust tilting cradle 84 between horizontal and vertical operative positions (compare FIGS. 3 and 6) will now be described. As can be best seen by initial reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a motor 144 mounted on a side platform 146 fixed to side wall 72a operates through a gear reducer 147 to drive a shaft 143 extending from side to side through the mill frame 2. Shaft 148 is journaled for rotation between bearings 149 and is further provided with two sprockets 150. A pair of lifting chains 152 are connected at their lower ends by means of brackets 154 to the side members 86a and 86b of tilting cradle 84. The lifting chains pass upwardly around curved guide shoulders 153 on the sides of tilting cradle 84 before passing over sprockets 159. The chains then continue downwardly around a second set of sprockets 156 from which depend counterweights 158. From sprockets 156, the

chains again rise upwardly where they are finally fixed at their upper ends to side walls 72a and 72b by means of fixed brackets 16%.

In view of the above, it should now be apparent to one skilled in the art that when converting mill frame 2 from a horizontal to a vertical operative positive, the following operational sequence is observed: the lead drive spindle 11 is first disconnected from shaft 32 in the manner previously described. Cylinder 136 is then actuated to pull the locking plungers 134a and 13411 from receiving collars 149. With the lead drive spindle l1 disconnected and the locking plungers 134 Withdrawn, the combination of tilting cradle 84, traversing bed 94, roll stand '7, spindle carriers 132 and pinion housing 12 is now free to rotate as a unit about the pass line 6. Motor 144 is then energized to rotate shaft 148 and the sprockets T150 mounted thereon in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 3. When this is done, a force is exerted on lifting chains 152 tending to rotate tilting cradle 84 in an upward direction. The movement of the tilting cradle will at all times be governed by the guide rollers 92 which extend into the arcuate channels 8t formed between curved tracks 73a and 73b on support members 76. When the tilting cradle finally reaches the vertical operative position as shown in FIG. 6, motor 144 will be de-energized and locking cylinder 136 again actuated to reinsert locking plungers 134 into an alternate set of receiving collars 142. Once this has been accomplished, a drive connection is again made between motor 52 and the now vertically disposed roll stand 7 by connecting the lead drive spindle 11 to the vertically disposed alternate drive shaft 66.

In view of the above, it should now be apparent that. the above-described mill frame construction offers a number of important advantages. For example, the removable roll stand 7 may be quickly and efficiently positioned for either horizontal or vertical operation by simply swinging tilting cradle 84 about the pass line. Only one lead drive spindle 11 need be dealt with by operating personnel when connecting the fixed drive motor 52 to the pinions contained in pinion housing 12.

In addition, by positioning the pinion housing 12 on titling cradle 84 together with roll stand 7, unnecessary duplication of expensive drive components is avoided. The same pinions 1%, universal spindles 9, main gear housing 34 and drive motor 52 will be in use Whether the mill frame 2 is operating in a vertical or horizontal position. In some mill installations, such an arrangement Will otter even greater economy by permitting a plurality of successively aligned mill frames to be driven through a common gearing arrangement by a single drive motor.

Still further, the weight of the swinging unit has been diminished considerably by allowing gear housing 34 and drive motor 52 to remain fixed. By the same token, the length of the swinging unit has also been decreased considerably by positioning the pinion housing 12 in close proximity to the roll stand 7. This close positioning is made possible by the use of hollow driven pinions through which the universal drive spindles 9 extend.

It is my intention to cover all changes and modifications of the embodiment herein shown for purposes of disclosure which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a rolling mill, a mill frame comprising: a stationary support structure positioned adjacent the mill pass line; a cradle mounted on said support structure for swinging movement about the pass line; a removable roll stand and pinion means carried by said cradle, said roll stand containing rotatable work rolls connected to said pinion means; means for swinging the combination of said cradle, roll stand and pinion means between horizontal and vertical operative positions; and drive means fixed relative to said support structure for driving said work rolls through said pinion means when said cradle is in said horizontal and vertical operative positions.

2. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further characterized by said cradle being positioned at approximately the same elevation as the mill floor when in said horizontal operative position, and means for removing said roll stand from said cradle onto the mill floor in a direction transverse to the pass line.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 further characterized by each of said work rolls having at least :two circumferential grooves which cooperate to provide a plurality of roll passes, and means associated with said cradle for adjusting the position of said pinion means and roll stand in a direction transverse to the pass line when aligning said roll passes with the mill pass line.

4. A convertible mill frame for use in a rolling mill comprising: a stationary support structure positioned adjacent the mill pass line, a cradle rotatable within said support structure about the pass line; a bed adjustably carried on said cradle for movement thereon in a direction transverse to the mill pass line; pinion means mounted on :said bed; a roll stand removably mounted adjacent said pinion means on said bed, said roll stand adapted to contain at least two rotatable multi-grooved work rolls arranged to form a plurality of roll passes; universal spindle means for connecting said work rolls to said pinion means; means for aligning said r-oll passes with the mill pass line by adjusting the position of said bed on said cradle; means for rotating the combination of said cradle, bed, roll stand and pinion means about the mill pass line between horizontal and vertical operative positions; and drive means fixed relative to said support structure for driving said work rolls through said spindle means and pinion means when said cradle is in said horizontal and vertical operative positions.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 4 further characterized by said universal spindle means extending axially through said pinion means.

6. In a rolling mill, a convertible mill frame comprising the combination of: a stationary support structure fixed relative to the mill pass line; a cradle mounted on said support structure for rotation about the pass line; a roll stand carried by said cradle, said roll stand adapted to contain cooperative work rolls suitably grooved to form at least one roll pass; means for rotating said cradle about the mill pass line between vertical and horizontal operative positions; drive means fixed relative to said support structure; and, intermediate means also carried by said cradle for connecting said work rolls to said drive means when said cradle is in said horizontal and vertical operative positions.

7. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said intermediate means is comprised of at least two intermeshed driven pinion gears journaled for rotation about fixed parallel axes, said pinion gears having enlarged bores extending axially therethrough, elongated spindle shafts extending through said bores, universal coupling means for connecting said spindle shafts to said Work rolls and said driven pinions, and means for operatively connecting one of said driven pinions to said fixed drive means.

8. The apparatus as set forth in claim 6 further characterized by means for adjusting the position of said roll stand in a direction transverse to the mill pass line.

9. A convertible mill frame for use in a rolling mill comprising the combination of: a support structure fixed adjacent the mill pass line; a swinging cradle carried by said support structure for rotation about said pass line; a traversing bed adjustably mounted on said swinging cradle for movement thereon in a direction transverse to the mill pass line; a roll stand removably mounted on said traversing bed, said roll stand containing cooperative work rolls suitably grooved to form a plurality of roll passes; means for aligning said roll passes with the mill pass line by adjusting the position of said traversing bed relative to said swinging cradle; means for rotating said swinging cradle about the mill pass line between horizontal and vertical operative positions; drive means fixed relative to said support structure; and connecting means carried by said traversing bed for connecting said work rolls to said drive means when said cradle is operatively positioned relative to the pass line, said connecting means being continuously operable during movement of said traversing bed relative to said cradle.

10. A mill frame for use in a rolling mill comprising the combination of: a fixed supporting structure having spaced upstanding side Walls; spaced arcuate tracks on each said side walls; a swinging cradle positioned between said tracks, said cradle further provided with guide rollers cooperating with said tracks to support said cradle for rotation about the mill pass line; a traversing bed carried by said cradle; means for adjusting the position of said bed relative to said cradle in a direction transverse to the mill pass line; a roll stand removably mounted on said traversing :bed, said roll stand adapted to contain multi-grooved rotatable work rolls arranged to form a plurality of roll passes; pinion means on said bed connected to said work rolls; means for rotating said cradle with said traversing bed, roll stand and pinion means positioned thereon about the pass line of the mill between horizontal and vertical operative positions; and drive means fixed relative to said supporting structure for driving said work rolls through said pinion means when said swinging frame is operatively positioned relative to said pass line.

11. The apparatus as set forth in claim 10 further charcaterized by means for locking said cradle relative to said supporting structure when said cradle is in said horizontal and vertical operative positions.

12. A convertible mill frame for use in a rolling mill comprising the combination of: a stationary supporting structure positioned adjacent the pass line of the mill; a swinging cradle mounted within said supporting structure for rotation about said pass line; a roll stand and pinion assembly carried by said cradle, said roll stand containing multi-grooved work rolls cooperating to form a plurality of roll passes; means for adjusting the position of said roll stand and pinion assembly relative to said cradle in a direction transverse to the pass line when aligning said roll passes with the mill pass line; means for rotating said cradle about the mill pass line in order to position said roll stand and pinion assembly for horizontal and vertical operation; drive means fixed relative to said stationary supporting structure; and disconnectable means for operatively connecting said pinion assembly 10 to said drive means during horizontal and vertical operation of said roll stand, said means being continuously operable during adjustments of said roll stand and pinion assembly relative to said cradle.

13. The apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein said disconnectable means is comprised of a single lead drive spindle.

14. In a rolling mill, a mill frame comprising the combination of a stationary support structure positioned adjacent the mill pass line, said structure having spaced reinforced side walls extending upwardly from a fixed base; space arcuate tracks on each said walls defining interrupted circles concentric with the mill pass line; a swinging cradle positioned between said side walls, said cradle provided with guide rollers cooperating with said arcuate tracks to support said cradle for rotation about the mill pass line; a traversing bed carried :by said cradle; means for adjusting the position of said traversing bed relative to said cradle in a direction traverse to the mill pass line; a pinion housing mounted on said traversing bed, said housing containing intermeshed driven pinion gears journaled for rotation on fixed axes, and a driving pinion gear also rotatably mounted within said pinion housing in meshed relationship with one of said driven pinion gears, said pinion gears each provided with enlarged bores extending axially therethrough; a roll stand removably mounted on said traversing bed in closely spaced relationship to said pinion housing, said roll stand containing multi-grooved work rolls arranged to form a plurality of roll passes; spindle shafts connected at their driven ends to said driven pinion gears by universal couplings, said spindle shafts extending through the enlarged bores in said driven pinions to be connected at their driving ends to said work rolls by another set of universal couplings; means for rotating said cradle with said traversing bed, roll stand and pinion means positioned thereon about the mill pass line between horizontal and vertical operative positions; drive means fixed relative to said support structure; and, disconnecta-ble means for operatively connecting said driving pinion to said drive means during horizontal and vertical operation of said roll stand, said means being continuously operable during adjustments of said traversing bed relative to said cradle.

No references cited.

WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner.

G. A. DOST, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A ROLLING MILL, A MILL FRAME COMPRISING: A STATIONARY SUPPORT STRUCTURE POSITIONED ADJACENT THE MILL PASS LINE; A CRADLE MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR SWINGING MOVEMENT ABOUT THE PASS LINE; A REMOVABLE ROLL STAND AND PINION MEANS CARRIED BY SAID CRADLE, SAID ROLL STAND CONTAINING ROTATABLE WORK ROLLS CONNECTED TO SAID PINION MEANS; MEANS FOR SWINGING THE COMBINATION OF SAID CRADLE, ROLL STAND AND PINION MEANS BETWEEN HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL OPERATIVE POSITIONS; AND DRIVE MEANS FIXED RELATIVE TO SAID SUPPORT STRUCTURE FOR DRIVING SAID WORK ROLLS THROUGH SAID PINION MEANS WHEN SAID CRADLE IS IN SAID HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL OPERATIVE POSITIONS. 